My name is Javemi Agness, and I am 52 years old. I live in Acibu village in Nebbi District with my husband, Javemi Charles, who is 66, and our children. For many years, our lives depended on growing annual crops like cassava, maize, and rice. That is all we knew. We believed that bananas could not grow well in our area, so we never even considered them as an option, but everything changed when we joined the Climate Action Model Village (CAM) Project through the Coprekumungu Climate Smart Champion Group.

Through the training offered by AFARD, we learned something that has stayed with us: we must chase poverty by working hard to get where we want in life. That mindset shift changed how we looked at farming and our future. I was trained in good agronomic practices for banana production, and we received 10 banana suckers. At first, it felt like an experiment. But together as a family, we chose to apply what we had learned and give it a chance.

Beyond banana farming, the training also helped me improve how I manage my land. I learned how to prevent running water from flooding my compound and how to protect the soil so it can regain its nutrients. These practices have made a big difference in how productive our land is. I started planting bananas in 2023. Today, we grow different types, including Sukali ndizi, Bugoya, Plantain, and Nakitembe. What we once thought was impossible has now become part of our daily life.

As my husband often says, “We are ageing, and we may not have the energy for heavy farm work anymore.” That realisation pushed us to think differently. We decided to invest in something more sustainable, something that will continue to support us even as we grow older.

We chose banana farming as our retirement plan, and between December 2023 and March 2024, we planted 90 banana suckers. Ten came from the project, and the remaining 80 we sourced ourselves. For the first time, we were not just farming for survival. We were planning for the future.

At the same time, we have continued to expand our farming activities. I have opened more land for watermelon and cabbage production, and I am learning how to make my own fertilisers to improve soil fertility when planting crops.

However, farming has not been without challenges. Prolonged drought remains our greatest difficulty. To cope, we sometimes use tap water to irrigate our plantation. We also face destruction from goats that stray into our garden and damage our crops.

Despite these challenges, we continue to push forward. We are now working toward planting 400 banana suckers on one acre of land, and we plan to acquire a water tank for harvesting rainwater to manage dry seasons better. Banana farming has given us more than food. It has given us hope, stability, and a sense of direction for the future. We are deeply grateful to AFARD and AWO International for the knowledge and support they gave us. Through this project, we have learned not only how to farm better, but how to think differently about our lives.